Orihime Inoue

Orihime Inoue is a Human living in Karakura Town. She is a student at Karakura High School, where she is in the same class as Ichigo Kurosaki and her best friend, Tatsuki Arisawa. Orihime is a teenager of average height. She has brown eyes and long, waist-length, burnt orange hair. Her most noticeable physical trait is her slender yet curvaceous figure for a teenager, especially in terms of her large breasts. She wears her hair in bangs tucked behind her ears with hairpins, which she only removes to sleep, as they are worn in the memory of her brother. Orihime initially wears her hair with a full but parted fringe before pulling most of her bangs behind her ears as she was ready to leave for Soul Society, a change noted by Tatsuki. Seventeen months after Aizen's defeat, Orihime's hair becomes fuller and wavier. Her bangs naturally frame her face without her hair clips and also hang over her ears. She stops wearing her hair clips and instead keeps them clipped onto the left collar of her school uniform. Orihime is independent, friendly, humorous, sensitive, caring and kind. She comes off as naive and rather clueless, which is at odds with her exceptionally high marks in school. She studies hard because when her grades drop, she receives less financial support from her relatives. She is a member of the Handicrafts Club and likes to invent very ridiculous sports to play with Tatsuki (such as "base-cer," a combination of baseball and soccer. She tends to zone out with her mouth open and loses track of what she was thinking or dreaming about. She has an over-active imagination and gets carried away thinking of implausible scenarios, such as portraying herself as a futuristic and highly destructive robot in an assignment asking a student "How do you see yourself in the future?".

Orihime likes Asian flower print clothing and comedies. While she does eat some normal food, Orihime cooks and eats unusual meals, which other people often find unappetizing. Her favorite food is red bean paste and she likes putting butter on sweet potatoes. She enjoys cheese and butter most of the time. Orihime has demonstrated that she is perceptive when it comes to people's mental and emotional state, especially in regards to Ichigo, as she is able to tell what kind of driving force is pushing someone. She additionally has a crush on Ichigo and later falls in love with him. She has exhibited traits that appear to have some connection with Ichigo, such as the ability to detect Ichigo by scent, sense his Spiritual Pressure even when masked by the Visored, and an awareness of what mood Ichigo is in, sensing his feelings of anguish, disappointment, or worry, even feeling pain herself when she sees Ichigo getting hurt. Orihime and her brother, Sora Inoue, were raised by a drunken father and a prostitute mother, who always argued and beat their children. Fearing that their parents would kill Orihime, in the March that Sora turned eighteen, he ran away with Orihime, who was three years old, and raised her on his own from then on. For nine years, Orihime and Sora lived in harmony despite the fact that Orihime was bullied in school because of her unusual hair color. One day, Sora gave Orihime a pair of hairpins. However, Orihime refused to wear them because she said they were childish. That day, Sora died, and Orihime began wearing the hairpins every day since. After Sora's death, Orihime prayed for him every day. A year after Sora died, Orihime met Tatsuki and befriended her and the amount of days she prayed for him diminished. After entering Karakura High School, she stopped praying for him and instead talked about Ichigo before she left and when she returned from school. She wanted to show Sora that she was happy and that he did not have to worry about her. Since Sora's death, Orihime has lived by herself in Karakura Town, receiving financial support from a distantly related aunt living elsewhere. At school, a distracted Ichigo Kurosaki collides with Orihime, knocking her to the ground. After he apologizes, she acts strangely and begins to make excuses while fleeing the scene. The next day, Orihime encounters Ichigo and Rukia Kuchiki on the street. She states that she is uncertain of whether or not she was hit by a car and has a bruise on her leg caused by a Hollow. Ichigo offers to walk her home, but she declines. Later, Orihime has Tatsuki over for dinner, revealing more of her crush when she becomes distracted by the thought of Ichigo's offer to walk her home. After dinner, they are attacked by Acidwire, who pulls Orihime's soul from her body, leaving the Chain of Fate unbroken so that she doesn't initially die. Horrified, Orihime witnesses the Hollow attack Tatsuki, who is unable to see either of the spirits and becomes scared and confused. Ichigo attacks the Hollow, but is flung from the building. Acidwire then reveals to Orihime that he is Sora. Orihime is initially skeptical as she doesn't believe Sora would do such horrible things, but finally believes him when she sees his reaction to her hair-clips. As his fight with Ichigo continues, Orihime places herself between the pair, resulting in Acidwire wounding her. She embraces him and apologizes to her brother for causing all this. Sora then purifies himself with Ichigo's Zanpakutō as Orihime bids him farewell. While both Tatsuki and Orihime's memories are modified by Rukia, this event enables them to start developing spiritual awareness. After introducing Ichigo to Uryū Ishida, she once again encounters a Hollow when Uryū lures a massive number to Karakura Town for his challenge to Ichigo. She tries to get her friends away from danger, but the Hollow, Numb Chandelier, uses her ability to make various students attack her. As the students endanger Orihime, Tatsuki arrives to defend her from the onslaught. However, Tatsuki soon falls under Numb Chandelier's control and is forced to turn on Orihime. Seeing Tatsuki in tears brings back old memories of the days when Orihime was bullied for the color of her hair and when Tatsuki saved her, thus Orihime decides it is time for her to protect Tatsuki in return for their friendship. This desire forces her powers to manifest for the first time. Orihime then notices her Shun Shun Rikka flying over her head and with their guidance, she uses them to defeat the Hollow and heal Tatsuki. Afterwards, Kisuke Urahara takes her and Yasutora Sado to his shop, where he explains their powers to them. As she and Sado watch Ichigo and Uryū fight a Menos Grande, Orihime reveals that she had not forgotten what happened with Acidwire. After Rukia is arrested and taken to Soul Society, Orihime asks Ichigo why nobody seems to remember her. After Ichigo explains the situation to her, she asks him what he is planning to do about it. After he leaves, she swears not to let him get hurt. Along with Sado, she accepts an offer to begin training her abilities under the guidance of Yoruichi Shihōin, the cat. Orihime asks Uryū to train with them, but he declines. During their training, she manages to activate her powers after remembering how she felt about protecting Tatsuki. Orihime lies to Tatsuki about where she is going and spends her last day in Karakura Town with her and promises to return.

Orihime received the same message from Urahara as Ichigo and appeared upset that he thought she had no sense of humor. Orihime is impressed and ecstatic when they enter the underground training facility at Urahara's Shop. Orihime, Chad, Uryū and Ichigo are led by Yoruichi into the Dangai as they journey to Soul Society. Despite Yoruichi's warning, Orihime uses her shield against the Kōtotsu to save her friends, putting herself at risk. She heals Jidanbō Ikkanzaka after Gin Ichimaru prevents them from entering Seireitei.When they reach the home of Kūkaku Shiba, Orihime proves able to create the Kidō cannonball needed to break through the Shakonmaku fairly easily compared to the others. She sacrifices her own food for Ichigo when he experiences problems with the technique. When the group uses the cannonball to enter Seireitei, she is blown away with Uryū when the ball disintegrates. Despite using Santen Kesshun to break their fall, she is knocked unconscious. Dreaming of Ichigo, she wakes up to find that Uryū had applied first aid to her injured shoulder. Orihime spends most of the mission in the Seireitei with Uryū, and is noticed early on. The two manage to avoid Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, but are confronted by Jirōbō Ikkanzaka of the 7th Division. Orihime proves attempts to help Uryū defeat him, but her lack of killing intent renders her offensive ability ineffective, resulting in Tsubaki being injured. Nonetheless, Uryū defeats him with ease, saving her. Although happy with her friend's powers, Orihime laments her own lack growth through training. The pair steal Shinigami uniforms on Orihime's influence after she defeats weaker members of the Gotei 13. She attracts the attention of Toshimori Umesada of the Ninth Division, resulting in Uryū protecting her from his advances before he is called off. The pair renew their search for Rukia, unaware that they are being stalked by the captain of the Twelfth Division. Later on, Orihime attempts to heal Tsubaki's injuries but proves to have difficulty doing so. The pair are then confronted by Makizō Aramaki of the Eleventh Division, who sees through their disguises. They are saved by members of the Twelfth Division, but they abruptly explode. Warned beforehand by Uryū, Orihime manages to use Santen Kesshun just in time to protect him, herself, and Aramaki. Orihime sheds tears over being unable to save the Shinigami, confusing Aramaki. When Mayuri Kurotsuchi appears and expresses interest in her abilities, she refuses to run away to save herself. However, Uryū threatens Aramaki into running away with her in his arms to get her away from the impending battle between him and Kurotsuchi, although the latter initially tries to prevent his target from getting away. Orihime and Aramaki are found by Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi and brought to the Eleventh Division quarters where she is questioned by its members. The whole group, with Orihime traveling on Zaraki's back with a jealous Yachiru, run for the barracks where Uryū, Chad and Ganju Shiba are being held and break them out of jail. Orihime and her friends witness Kenpachi challenge Captains Sajin Komamura, Kaname Tōsen and their vice-captains to battle before being dragged off by Yachiru in order to find Ichigo. Orihime identifies Ichigo's huge Reiatsu when they arrive during the climatic battle between their friend and Byakuya Kuchiki. Orihime explains their reasons for rescuing Rukia to a confused Aramaki. She refuses to leave the area when Uryū advises her to do so, staying despite the danger. Following his battle, Ichigo hurts himself by colliding heads with Orihime and is reassured that she was not injured at all during the mission. She tearfully informs him that she regrets not being able to help him, but Ichigo thanks her anyway for her concern. Because she isn't healed by the Fourth Division, she is the only person in the Seireitei who does not hear Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu’s message about Sōsuke Aizen’s betrayal. Aizen escapes as Orihime watches helplessly with her friends at the bottom of the hill, though Rukia survives the ordeal. Afterwards, she uses her abilities to heal Ichigo, drawing the Fourth Division's attention. Orihime stays in Soul Society for a week while the others recuperate following Aizen's escape. After receiving new clothes for the return home from Uryū, Orihime suspects that he has a crush on Rukia due to the dress he made her, before discovering that her Shinigami friend is not in her quarters. She reports this to Ichigo after attempting to search for Rukia herself. They both search for her, with Orihime climbing up to Byakuya's window and having to decline an invitation to a drink with Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto; this leads them to the Shiba household, where they find Rukia. When Rukia decides to stay with the Gotei 13, Orihime gives Uryū's dress to her anyway, despite her not needing it in Soul Society. While many Shinigami officers look on, Orihime enters the Senkaimon with her friends to return to the World of the Living. On the first day of the new semester, Orihime greets Ichigo along with Chad and Uryū. She is ambushed by Chizuru Honshō; as usual, Tatsuki intervenes to extract Orihime from Chizuru's grasp. Orihime notices when Ichigo's badge alerts him to the presence of a Hollow nearby and along with Chad, fakes a bathroom trip to follow Ichigo. While there, Orihime lets the others know that Uryū hadn't come because he's not been himself, but realizes she should not have said anything. Orihime is distracted by a worried Ichigo as a new student arrives in class. The next day, Orihime arrives in school and greets both Ichigo and Shinji, who seems overwhelmed that she'd remembered his name and hugs her. This causes a ruckus with the other students who express jealousy and bewilderment, with Chizuru even threatening Shinji's life before Ichigo pulls him away. Noticing the change of behavior in Ichigo, Orihime and Chad confront Shinji after overhearing his conversation with Hiyori Sarugaki. They manage to get Hiyori's name out of her, but before they can learn anything else, Hiyori is carried away by Shinji despite Orihime's attempt to stop them.